Pokemon: Battlefield
by Cornova
Summary: Victory can be often attained by the unyielding desire and indomitable will of those strong enough to take it. Whether for fame, fortune, or justice, battles are fought to claim them, and although the names, origins, and faces change, the spirit does not.
1. N's Castle: Enter the Dragons

**For those of you that thought this was another chapter from my others, sorry, those'll come soon I promise. This is just some battles I keep in my head and thought I should write down. I wanna thank Jakayrta and REV6Pilot for their contribution to this chapter. This is simply my interpretation of the fight that took place in N's castle against my Pokémon in White Version. Hope you guys don't mind that I omitted a certain event and a few lines so that everything would go a bit faster. Hope you enjoy.**

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What awaited Hilda past the archway Ghetsis guarded was like nothing she had ever seen before. As she entered the chamber, the strength behind her run faltered, the mind controlling it dumbstruck by the sheer size of the room. Her footsteps upon the white marble tiles echoed off the cavernous stone walls that towered above her. Massive columns of pale marble held up the ceiling and dipped into the crystal clear water that pooled at the bottom.

Light pooled in from the opposite end of the hall. A dark cobalt carpet extended halfway across the entirety of the room. Basking in the light was a golden throne; upon the walls that flanked it were dark blue curtains, bearing the Team Plasma insignia.

Hilda peered off into the distance, unable to make out the figure upon the throne, but knowing full well who it was. She walked slowly towards it, her heartbeat now pounding in her ears.

"N! You have to stop this!" she yelled, and flinched when her voice thundered across the throne room. The words echoed again and again, each time softer than the last, until her voice faded entirely.

"_Good acoustics_," the girl thought, before she cleared her mind and brought forth a fierce glare.

N sat with his palm cradling his chin, the visor of his black and white cap veiling his eyes. There was a subtle shift in his composure at the sound of her voice, and he slowly lifted his gaze to meet hers. His lips curved into a small smile, gray eyes filled with interest and curiosity at her presence.

He slid off this throne with the greatest of ease, and descended the steps before him. Hilda couldn't help but feel that N felt out of place on such a seat – an impeccable white long sleeved shirt over a black undershirt and khaki jeans seemed too casual an attire for a king to wear. N sheathed his thumbs into the ends of his pockets, the wooden void cube chained to his waist bouncing with every step he took.

"What I want is a world of only Pokémon. By separating Pokémon from people, they will regain their natural power. This will be our final battle. I am prepared. Even if my Pokémon friends are wounded, my belief will prevail. Since you have come this far, certainly you must feel something similar?" he boomed, his eyes cast to the carpet not in a shameful way, but a condescending one. He looked up at his visitor.

Hilda fought against his disarming stare and smile and advanced, his features becoming clearer as the distance between them shortened. The blue trinket that hung from his neck swayed with his tea green hair. They stopped a few feet before the other, and Hilda pulled her cap over her eyes.

"… When I first heard what Team Plasma stood for, I honestly started to question whether what you said was right, and what people were doing was wrong. Part of me wanted to release my first Pokémon, instead of making him fight and get hurt over money and badges. I thought twice about capturing my Pokémon, taking them away from their homes, friends, and families. But the other part of me really wanted to follow my friends Bianca and Cheren. I wanted to help Professor Juniper, so I held onto my Pokémon for a little while. I felt like I was being really selfish, but you know what? The more I traveled, the more people I met and the more trainers I battled, the bond between my Pokémon and me became stronger. I began to see that very same bond with trainers and their Pokémon. So when I think about you separating people from Pokémon, I think about how you're not only hurting the humans who want to be with them, but you're also hurting the Pokémon who want to be with humans! I understand what you're trying to do, but I don't believe you're doing it the right way. You're a good person… Please, don't do this."

N's expression darkened, the light behind his eyes flickering out. His gaze became as frigid, Hilda thought, as the winds that ravaged Twist Mountain every winter. She did her best to hold her ground as his icy gaze met her own. He turned, walked off to the edge of the walkway and stared into the emerald pool before him.

"You came all this way with the intent to battle me… Yet Zekrom is not reacting. Does it still not recognize you as a hero? How disappointing. I've taken quite a liking to you, though. In all our battles, I felt you could be a trainer who valued your Pokémon!" he spat, icy eyes paradoxically ablaze with anger.

The green-haired boy began making his way to his throne, but stopped to turn and face her before he got there. He sighed and shook his head in disappointment, his eyes closed.

"…But it seems that was nothing more than a baseless assumption. As much as trainers fight, they can never build a true understanding. You have two options, Hilda: fight a hopeless battle; or leave and let Pokémon be separated from humans to form a new world."

Despite his harsh tone and icy eyes, it seemed like he was imploring her to choose the latter.

"I'm staying. I can't you let you get away with this. If you won't listen to reason, then I'll have to stop you by force," the girl snarled. Her eyes blazed with a fire that rivaled N's coldness.

His eyes lost none of their conviction or frigidness. His only motion was that of his left arm rising above his shoulder.

"So be it," N muttered. He snapped his fingers, and Hilda winced at the crisp and piercing sound as it reverberated harshly around the cavernous hall.

Without warning the wall behind N's throne exploded. Hilda fought to keep her balance as the entire castle began to shake. Chunks of stone rained over the walkway, countless ripples blossoming over the pool. N acted as if nothing had happened, waiting patiently until Reshiram ,the Vast White King and Master of Yang, landed behind him, causing the chamber's water to slosh against the rows of columns that flanked it. It was not the brunette's first time seeing Reshiram, her first introduction to it having happened atop the Dragonspiral Tower.

Hilda's gaze shifted quickly between the regal youth and the pallid dragon, the former sporting a confident grin. The creature's icy blue eyes stayed fixed on the girl for a moment, before it lowered his white slender neck and roared.

Sections of the ceiling rained over the throne room behind Reshiram, some pieces crumbling against the walkway, others plunging through the water's surface to the bottom of the chamber. Hilda felt a scalding tempest wash over her and fill the room, her hat and hair taking to the air. Each and every notion of courage and bravado Hilda had armed herself with vanished in the scorching air.

The air began to shimmer from the sweltering heat. N's brow shimmered with beads of sweat. Hilda's heart beat painfully against her chest, every neuron in her body screaming for her to flee to safety, but even if she wanted to, her legs felt like they were made of lead, her body effectively paralyzed from the fear.

"_Relax… relax… you've dealt with dragons before. You beat Iris, so you can do this. You've got a strong ice type move. Dragons, even legendary ones, are supposed to be weak against ice, right? As long as this dragon doesn't have any fire movesI'm o_-"

Hilda's thoughts were derailed as Reshiram's thruster-like tail began to give off an amber glow. Waves of heat pulsated from the dragon's core, and suddenly his body was enveloped in a sphere of fire. N had already begun to make his way away from the swirling inferno, a single hand holding his cap in place. No amount of anger on his bemused smile towards her could rival the fear she felt from the piercing cerulean eyes that stared at her, clearly visible even from within the blazing tornado.

The water behind Reshiram steamed and bubbled until it eventually evaporated entirely, revealing the now dry cobblestone floor beneath. The once polished floors around the dragon's feet was now charred black. A few embers continued to dance around the Legendary's body, but they eventually flickered and died, leaving only swirling wisps of smoke. Hilda had fallen over at some point during the display, her trance broken when N extended his hand to her. The young trainer, insulted by the gesture, threw the King of Team Plasma a reproachful look.

N's smirk could not be undone – if anything, Hilda's attempt at biting his hand only proved to entertain him more. She scrambled to her feet, determined not to be pitied any further. With a single flap of his wings, Reshiram sent the steam from the heated stone and the stifling heat out the hole he had made upon entry.

Hilda pursed her lip until it was a fine white line; ice moves would not work on this dragon. Her only ace against dragons meant nothing now. N's warning of a hopeless battle began to sound more and more believable. She doubted anything she threw at that thing could take it out, and even if by some miracle she did, she would still have to contend with the rest of N's party.

With nothing to obstruct it, the light that once had shyly trickled in now crept brightly across the hall, outlining Reshiram and N in a golden aura.

The boy's smile disappeared and he backed away. Hilda traced his gaze to her bag. She felt the room shudder, and it took only a moment for her to realize the pulse she felt was not her own.

'_Is the Dark Stone… moving?'_

N took another step back towards Reshiram. Hilda quickly undid the flap on her bag and stretched it wide, a single black sphere the size of a Pokéball rising up from within.

"Your Dark Stone is…! No…Zekrom is…" N's voice trailed off, watching the orb ascend above them. Streams of the deepest black poured into the stone from every corner of the room, meshing into it until they formed a black cyclone. Hilda swore she could hear something akin to a heartbeat, each pulse marking another ring of darkness that converged upon the stone.

And then without warning, the darkness dissipated. The complete and utter silence that followed was, in Hilda's opinion, more stifling than the heat from before. N's lips parted in awe, his entire focus still fixated on the orb levitating a few meters off the ground. Hilda could hear the beating of N's heart from where she stood and watched his pupils dilate before she tore her gaze from him and back to the Dark Stone.

The black sphere, slowly but surely, began to spin in place, a soft purple glow radiating from it. The room reverberated as a twister of white energy formed around the black stone, spinning faster and faster with every passing second. The once gentle aura outlining the stone expanded abruptly, white wisps of energy cycling within the aura shell like electrons around an atomic core.

A single dark speck materialized inside, rapidly taking shape and growing past the confines of the shell – the Deep Black Queen, Mistress of Yin, Zekrom. The Pokémon was curled into a ball, and Hilda couldn't help but be reminded of an infant in the womb. Her peaceful appearance was short-lived, though, ending as soon as her eyelids lifted to reveal glowing crimson eyes.

The silence that had once reigned over the hall was shattered as the black dragon extended her limbs and wings, the aura that once confined her fading out of existence. Zekrom landed directly behind Hilda, lowering her body to roar, not at Hilda, but at her pallid counterpart. The girl began to back away as several rings on Zekrom's conical, spiked tail began to glow an electric blue, accompanied by an a deep hum that caused her chest to flutter.

Lances of lightning forked through the air, lashing out at the ceiling and carving through anything they touched. Zekrom's body was encased in an orb of electricity, saturating the air with the smell of ozone. The spectacle lasted only a few seconds, but N and Hilda's amazement towards the sight made it feel longer.

"Originally one life… One Pokémon. Distinctly opposite, yet exactly the same entity. Reshiram and Zekrom both appeared before ones they recognize as heroes," N whispered under his breath.

Zekrom flapped her wings, clearing the ozone through the gashes she'd made in the ceiling. Dark pupils in a sea of red landed on N, a threatening roar that threatened to make N fall over erupting from her maw. Hilda smirked.

Despite being strongly shaken, and showing it, N did his best to keep his composure. Hilda felt a gust of warmth run through her hair, briefly lifting it off her shoulders. The young trainer turned to find Zekrom's snout a mere few inches from her head.

N's voice was calm. "It is said that power was lent to the hero who pursued ideals. Zekrom has recognized your power and chosen to walk with you." He made his way around Reshiram. "It matters not. I have seen the future. I _will_ win!"

The Deep Black Queen shifted her body to one side, allowing Hilda safe passage. She moved quickly, with added incentive as Zekrom reared her head back, cold emerald flames fleeing from the gaps between her teeth. Reshiram crossed his arms over his chest, his wings overlapping into a white shield.

A river of jade flames surged across the room. N watched as bits of Zekrom's Dragonbreath began to wash over his own dragon.

"Do you really think that will stop us?" he sneered.

Reshiram undid his makeshift shield, revealing a miniature sun cradled within his maw. The yellow sphere of energy expanded when launched, the green flames coursing over its burning crimson surface as the fireball pushed through the attack. Zekrom ended her Dragonbreath and raised her arms, bracing herself for Reshiram's Fusion Flare.

Hilda watched as the Vast White King took up a defensive stance once more, this time for his own round of attacking. Seconds before the massive sphere of flames collided with Zekrom, it collapsed on itself, shrinking into a tiny orb of unimaginably bright light. The room's initial transformation into purgatory was silent. Zekrom's figure was the only obstruction in a world of white. The ensuing explosion shook the foundations of the castle.

Hilda felt the force of the blast lifting her off the ground.


	2. N's Castle: Fire in the Hole

**Once again I want to thank Jakayrta and REV6Pilot for their help this chapter.**

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**_There was once a single dragon_**

The sounds of crumbling stone filled the room. The world had grown dark behind a young trainer's closed eyes. Her eyes fluttered as the ground beneath her shook, a gust of wind burying her beneath a new layer of dust.

**_Used by twin brothers in order to create the Unova region. _**

One finger twitched, then two, and Hilda's hand slid instinctively across the marble surface of the floor. A small pile of dust collected at the edge of her palm until she made a fist, crushing the powdered debris of the royal hall into an even finer dust.

**_The older brother sought truth. _**

Hilda's body ached. Having been thrown across the room like a rag doll had not come without consequences. Sight had not returned to her, but memories of where she was and what had happened before the darkness slowly trickled into her mind.

**_The younger brother sought ideals. _**

N. Team Plasma. Reshiram. Zekrom. Trainers. Pokemon. Castle. New World. Separation. The dots seemed to connect all at once. Hilda tried to get up, and was rewarded with a stab of pain from the back of her head that clouded her thoughts in a white haze. She collapsed back onto the hard marble, another wave of debris washing over her. She buried her face into the crook of her elbow, peering over her forearm briefly before ducking back behind it as another salvo of debris pelted her.

**_They began to argue and fight over who was right._**

Hilda worried about whether her sight and hearing had been damaged, the surrounding sounds ringing like dull thumps. The once distant bellowing roars and crashes of stone ensued once more with renewed intensity, louder than before. No amount of rubbing seemed to return her vision; the most she could discern was that the giant white blob was Reshiram and that the black one was Zekrom.

**_In response, the dragon split into two different dragons._**

"_How long have I been out_?" Hilda asked herself, having no way to gauge how long she had floated in the darkness of unconsciousness. The light at the end of the room did nothing to help her sight – a golden glow invaded her tightly shut lids, making them burn no matter how hard she clenched them. Her next attempt at getting up was met with frustrated exhaustion as her arms wobbled and gave out pathetically beneath her.

**_Reshiram sided with the older twin who sought truth._**

Slowly, the details of the room were becoming clearer to her, the dueling blobs before her finally beginning to take form. The cloud of dust that had risen from the explosion had begun to settle. Remnants of it still lingered in the air in a ring that encircled the Vast White King and Deep Black Queen. The epicenter of their arena was sunken in and smoldering, scorched glass managing to glint in the light.

**_Zekrom sided with the younger twin who sought ideals._**

Her hand lifted gingerly over the source of the pain on the back of her head and gave it the lightest bit of contact. She immediately hissed through gritted teeth, her arm jerking away as if she had touched lava, tears collecting around the edges of her eyes. She decided that touching it was not a good idea.

**_The two dragons were equally matched _**

Strength slowly returned to her body. N safely watched her from a distance – obviously Reshiram had managed to offer him better protection against the blast than Zekrom had her. He smiled at her first attempt to stand, the girl collapsing as her legs buckled beneath her, only to try again within a few seconds. Even once she had managed to stand she teetered dangerously, her legs wobbling uncontrollably.

**_And as they battled _**

Bits of the legend concerning Reshiram, Zekrom, and the two brothers coalesced in her mind. She watched the dragons clash time and time again, unable to shake the feeling that the effort was wasted. Entire sections of the ceiling descended with every shockwave made upon collision. Hilda followed a boulder that fell from the ceiling, clearly five times larger than her. Its descent was almost slow to her, the way the light caught every crack, every detail highlighted by the golden aura.

**_Neither could conquer the other. _**

In an instant the boulder shook itself to pieces just like countless others that fell all around the room. Hilda looked around and knew that if this battle continued inside the castle any longer, there wouldn't be much of a castle left.

"Zekrom, take this outside and keep it there!" she coughed.

Zekrom nodded, bolts of lightning arcing from her tail as it hummed to life. An electric blue aura radiated from the dragon's core, now spinning in place as lightning danced off the black dragon's scales. Thousands of arcs of electricity melded together, forming a golden orb of lightning around the Mistress of Yin's body.

Scales of the palest white met those of the blackest void, Zekrom's Fusion Bolt slamming into Reshiram's body at full force. The white dragon could only hold back his counterpart's electric tackle for so long, a fact that N quickly realized. The claws on Reshiram's feet carved through the marble, stopping just long enough for N to move out of the way. The hole that Reshiram created earlier exploded outward into something wider. The entire castle threatened to collapse.

The vacuum created in the dragons' absence drew the smell of ozone that saturated the air with it to the outside, as well as anything that wasn't bolted down to the floor. N's body was dragged across the hall, the white and black cap that served as his crown now fleeing with the pungent scent of ozone. Hilda screamed his name as his fingers gripped the edge of one of the steps that sat where his throne had once been. Hilda's own body was dragged across the marble floors by the wind's invisible hooks, until she stopped just before the crater's edge.

The trainer's wavy brown hair hung at her shoulders once more, no longer held aloft by the wind. Her gaze strayed from N's body to the world outside where a duel of fire and lightning traversed the skies beyond the rugged stone window. N's white fingers gradually relaxed against the stair's edge before he casually lifted himself onto his feet. The trainer's sense of helplessness dissipated when the young king dusted off his clothes, the action quickly becoming a wasted effort when the castle shook once more, sending another wave of dust raining from the ceiling.

N sighed at the state of his attire and glanced up to meet the brunette's stare. The very thought that his opponent cared about his well being, enough to look so concerned, fascinated him to no end, and he allowed himself a smile. She was unlike anyone he had ever met, or even hoped to meet.

Reshiram's roar derailed his thoughts, and without a word he made his way towards the edge of the hole made in his castle, audible sonic booms in the distance leaving his tea green hair to the mercy of the winds.

"We're not done here, N!" Hilda yelled, hoping he could feel her eyes drill into his back. Another gust of wind shifted his locks before he turned to her, a Pokéball ready in his hand. Hilda reached for her own, waiting until he summoned his Pokémon first.

Hilda had always valued versatility in her Pokémon's attack range, hoping that whatever N brought out was weak to at least one of her team's wide range of attacks. Two brilliant explosions illuminated the room, the light eventually outlining two figures before dimming out of existence. The room quickly grew colder as clouds of ice rapidly took residence along the castle's ceiling. Floating before N was the Snowstorm Pokémon, Vanilluxe.

The marble tiles beneath Hilda's Pokemon cracked and crumbled under the weight. Flames licked the air greedily beneath Emboar's chin, his bulky black arms eagerly pumping through the air. The golden sheen on Emboar's hands caught the light, and N instantly took notice of the Quick Claw Hilda had equipped her fighter with.

Emboar lowered himself on all fours, his burning beard darkening the marble beneath him. N couldn't hold back a smile from forming upon his lips. The last time he had seen Hilda was in Mistralton, her Emboar a Pignite at the time. For a moment the tea-haired boy contemplated switching out Vanilluxe, but thought against it.

N had watched Hilda grow as a trainer, slowly adding new additions to her team every time he met her for a battle. Not once had he seen her switch out an old Pokémon for someone else. From what he could remember of her team, half of them could easily defeat his Vanilluxe.

The only reason he had gotten Vanilluxe was in the case that Hilda did awaken Zekrom and that things did not go in his favor. He hadn't expected Hilda to force their dragons to fight amidst themselves without their direction, but it didn't exactly shift things out of his advantage. Vanilluxe would simply have to be his lead and set the stage for the rest of his party.

Despite Zekrom and Reshiram's absence the castle continued to shudder, the clash between two Legendaries leaving much to the imagination. Every distant shockwave and sonic boom shook entire sections of the wall and ceiling off their places. Hilda's attention was split between her battle with N and the constant threat of a Snorlax sized boulder crushing the shape out of her, an ordeal she could only guess N shared with her.

"Emboar, Heat Crash!"

The Mega Fire Pig Pokemon nodded, pushing himself off the floor with all of his strength and into the air.

"Vanilluxe, use Hail!" N yelled, watching as icicles as thick as his arm rained from the clouds of ice that lingered around the ceiling. Despite his girth and weight, Emboar rose several meters through the air with ease. Hilda backed away as a shard of ice the length of her leg embedded itself into the marble directly at her feet. N began to backpedal as well, leaving Vanilluxe to stand in an icy field of needles.

Emboar winced with each impact, spears of ice embedding into his back and melting just as quickly as they came. An encroaching wall of flames descended from his lips, stopping a few meters before Vanilluxe. The fire pig began to plummet, diving through his own wall of fire, the blaze wrapping around his body.

Vanilluxe leaned back, drawing in a deep breath upon N's command and unleashing a Blizzard. The wintry tempest snuffed out the veil of flames around Emboar's body, but did nothing to slow his descent.

"Use Brick Break!" Hilda screamed, hoping Emboar had heard her in time. Vanilluxe watched as its foe closed the distance between them, each head focused on the starter's left and right arms respectively, preparing to dodge the upcoming strike. Brick Break was typically carried out with a chopping motion, but when it became apparent that Emboar intended on using neither of his arms, it was already too late. N watched with horror as over three hundred pounds of fire and muscle slammed into his fighter, the Snowstorm Pokémon disappearing beneath Emboar's girth.

The fire pig's body sank several inches through the marble, a cooling sensation spreading from his chest to his stomach. A tiny smirk formed upon his lips at the thought of Vanilluxe breaking his fall. The mirth was short lived, and another salvo of icicles rained over him.

It was as Hilda aimed her Pokéball to spare her starter further pain that the cracks began to snake their way across the hall in short, measured intervals. N and Hilda began to back away slowly as the cracks extended behind them, a deep rumble reverberating from the floor beneath them. Sounds of stone slamming and sliding off their sister stones filled the room as the walkway where Emboar – and possibly Vanilluxe – were began to sink.

Hilda lost her balance, the marble and its powdered remnants sinking beneath her like the edge of a waterfall into the growing abyss. N fared no better; his once level hall was now angled and dissolving before his eyes. Hilda took no comfort in seeing him slide and scream, his hands pawing furiously at the cobalt rug until he found purchase along its edge.

Shards of ice from Vanilluxe's hail missed N by just a few centimeters as he dangled from the end of the once illustrious carpet that extended from his throne. N's stamina could only last so long, his body battered with hefty chunks of stone and marble. He looked down and saw his descent to the room below his throne would not be a smooth one. The walkway beneath his carpet crumbling tile by tile, each sudden drop of his carpet threatened to shake his white-knuckled grip, as if his swing towards the falling debris didn't succeed in doing so already.

The carpet itself had been effectively pinned to the walkway by Vanilluxe's hail, playing the parts of both savoir and executioner. The icy blades that missed him were not so merciful on the fabric he hung from: dozens of holes now marred the fabric's length, the fibers rapidly reaching their tensile limits.

Hilda's piercing scream tore through N's focus, the royal youth's worries suddenly pushed to the back of his thoughts. He turned his head, finding Hilda sliding towards the edge of the chasm and falling into darkness.

He shocked himself at how easily fear overtook him, how it made him forsake his ambitions and cast away his goals without thinking twice. His free arm instinctively reached for Hilda, despite the impossible distance now between them. For that moment she was not an obstacle that stood in the way of his new world, nor the hero that Zekrom had chosen to combat. She was just a girl, a girl who wanted nothing more than to become a Pokémon trainer, and a girl that, by the vicissitudes of Fate, had gotten mixed up in events much larger than she had ever planned to be part of.

Had they met at an earlier age, they might have been friends. It was not a sense of duty that compelled her, nor a sense of obligation that drove her to this point. She had gotten in this mess because it had been thrust upon her, either directly or indirectly, through her friends or others she knew. Fate had apparently deemed it necessary to intersect their paths.

He was left to wonder as his collapsing castle drowned the echoes of his yells.

**What would come once one of them reached the end the path Fate had placed them on?**


	3. N's Castle: Smug As A Bug

Emboar reacted immediately to Hilda's scream, ignoring the stabs of pain from his back as he began to lift himself off the ground. With a single push he flew backwards, the claws on his feet sliding against the marble's surface. Emboar raised his arms and with practiced ease caught his trainer just before she hit the ground.

The fire pig allowed himself a smile at how the how the roles had been switched. Not even a year had passed from when he was a Tepig, starting his journey with Hilda in Nuvema Town. It was just after their victory in the Striaton City gym that she held him in her arms just as he did with her now. For someone who commanded so much of his loyalty and power, she was truly a fragile creature.

"Thanks Emboar," Hilda whispered into his fur, her body pressed against the golden swirls of his stomach. He could hear the sound of her tiny heart beating against him, the strength in her arms gradually slackening. Her shoes met marble once more when he put her down. Emboar smacked another salvo of icicles aimed at her head out of the air just as she tiled her head to gaze up the hole her Pokemon had created.

A burst of light drew her attention to one particular section of the hole, N's Archeops materialized from the brilliance, weaving gracefully through the falling debris as it flew full circle around the abyss before returning to where it had been summoned. Hilda watched N shakily reach out to Archeops, still desperately clinging to his throne's once immaculate cobalt carpet, as if not entirely confident that the First Bird Pokemon could safely carry him.

Hilda waited patiently as Archeops glided over to them, the Team Plasma king hanging from his claws. N stumbled upon landing, his shoes skidding across the dusty marble floor.

The once thundering booms that had nearly shaken the castle to pieces were now reduced to muffled trembles. Whatever climactic fight their dragons were having was now a distant one, yet one that still managed to make N's castle quiver with each blow. The sound of sliding sand filled the air every few seconds, raining over the ruined halls. Whatever remnants of the hall that hadn't initially fallen were periodically shaken loose from their niches, gently sprinkling over the combatant.

Without a word N turned his back to Hilda, walking briskly towards the crater her Emboar had made. The young king quietly returned whatever was left of his Vanilluxe from the crater's epicenter and into its Pokeball. N stood silently at the crater's edge, and although his face was not visible to her, she knew along the lines of what it was.

The extent of the damage Vanilluxe sustained had been visible only to N himself; the mere sight of it pained him. It was here that Hilda could see the good qualities in N shine. Hilda could tell N loved Pokemon, not just the ones within his party, but the ones in the wild, the ones owned by trainers, and Pokemon he had never even met before. In all their previous battles, she had watched N's anguished expression surface as his Pokemon fainted. To force friends that he held so dear into battle was no different than if she had sent Bianca or Cheren to fight and faint for her.

N seemed rooted to the spot where he had returned Vanilluxe for the longest time. It was as if nothing else mattered, as if everything that was happening around him, everything he had been doing up until that point had been forgotten.

"I know you don't want your friends to get hurt, you can give up now and spare them any more pain," Hilda offered.

The royal youth shook his head, eventually turning to her and disarming Hilda once again when his stare bore no hatred, anger, or sorrow, but a smile.

"I said I would not stop, even if my friends were injured. To falter in my conviction would be an insult to their sacrifice and determination to help me. I respect the honor you've shown, seeing as you didn't attack me when you had several opportunities to do so, I'll let you have the first move."

Hilda nodded, working quickly and grabbed two Pokeballs from her pockets: one a vacant Pokeball, one an occupied Ultra ball.

Emboar's Head Smash could deal massive damage to Archeops since it was a flying type, but landing the move was another thing entirely.

Archeops was more than twice as fast as Emboar and easily could deal just as much damage. Betting on Emboar's Quick Claw was a gamble, one that Hilda didn't feel like taking her chances with.

Emboar's body went through several shades of crimson before his features eventually disappeared until nothing but his scarlet neon husk remained. His form faded from existence, a single thin beam of red light that connected him to his Pokeball retracted back into the capsule.

"Go Galvantula!" Hilda yelled as she tossed the black and yellow ultra ball she had caught the Elespider with.

"Archeops, use Acrobatics," N calmly ordered, his eyes trailing the ascension of his Pokemon. Hilda knew the attack well from her gym battle with Skyla, the power of the move doubled if the Pokemon using the attack wasn't holding an item. It was then that something caught Hilda's eye as her gaze followed the Archeops reach the roof the top floor.

Light trickled from the gashes Zekrom had carved into the ceiling, catching something that was tied to Archeop's neck. Hilda's eyes darted to the king that stood before her then back to his Pokemon.

_Clever Bastard_

If Hilda didn't know any better, she could swear she knew Archeops was holding a Flying gem.

Archeops launched itself off the ceiling to give itself more speed as it plummeted towards its target. The Flying gem around it's neck cracked and exploded, enveloping its body in a pale blue aura. Using a flying move allowed the Flying gem to double the power of that attack for one time only, but now with no held items, the power of Archeops' Acrobatics attack would triple.

Galvantula hissed uncomfortably, bringing Hilda's attention back to him.

"Galvantula, use Thunder, but wait for my signal," Hilda whispered, watching the prehistoric bird pass the hole in the floor above them. What little light that began to trickle through the gaps in the slashed ceiling faded as the heavens darkened.

"Now!" Hilda yelled, watching N mimic her as she backpedaled away from her own Pokemon. She allowed herself a smile, watching N's once confident expression morph into one of panic.

Archeops may have naturally been faster than her Galvantula, a fact that fed the young king's confidence, but Hilda had spent weeks training the Elespider to be not only fast, but faster than the typical Flying Pokemon. Skyla and now the Team Plasma leader were about to experience the fruits of their labor.

Slabs of stone and dust erupted from the ceiling, a bolt of lightning skewering through the cloud of debris, closing the distance in an instant. Galvantula darted away from where he once stood.

N and Hilda had averted their gaze at the last minute, being spared the blinding flash that lit up the entire hall. The resounding explosion from the Thunder attack threatened to throw both trainers across the hall, each one fighting for balance as they slid across the room. Having ventured through the Chargestone Cave for several hours, both combatants had grown used to the stench of ozone filling in the air.

Galvantula kept his distance from the twitching form of the charred and steaming Archeops. The blackened marble tiles beneath it had cracked from the impact, Hilda inched away cautiously lest it became a repeat of the earlier incident. She raised her sights to N, anguish now painting his features as he stared at his unconscious Pokemon. With an unsteady hand he raised Archeops' Pokeball and returned him.

Anguish quickly gave way to frustration then anger as the young king exchanged Poke Balls and summoned his next Pokémon. The flash of light gave way to a black and blue figure, a loud _thud_ resounding through the room upon its landing.

Long blue flippers were brought up to shield whatever the Carracosta's natural black armor didn't cover.

Hilda made no attempt to return Galvantula, seeing as she had a bit of a type advantage at the moment.

"Carracosta, use Stone Edge!" the king commanded, watching as the remnants of the upper floor levitate off the ground as they were given new purpose. Chunks and shards of marble and stone circled the Prototurtle's body as if caught by its gravity. Hilda bit her bottom lip at the sight. The purpose of Galvantula's speed was to dodge anything his opponent threw at him. As a consequence for his speed, he was unable to take a hit, especially from something that hit hard and used his type weakness. Yet, the young king would be joining Galvantula's previous victims in learning of his second ace in the hole.

The electric arachnid surged forward, becoming a yellow blur and bridging the distance between himself and his opponent in an instant. The young king's eyes widened in surprise; realizing what was happening just as it was already too late. Amidst the swirling stone fragments that cycled round him like so many electrons around an atom, Carracosta was able to make out the shimmering emerald sphere of energy cradled between Galvantula's mandibles.

N had enough sense to start running just before Galvantula's Energy Ball rammed into Carracosta's core. The blast launched the Prototurtle across the hall, barely missing his master before he slammed into the wall at the end of the room. Plumes of powdered marble engulfed the site upon impact; an encroaching opaque wall of dust slowly devoured the hall. Hilda could hear N cough through the smoke, his dark figure stumbling through the earthen mist.

Galvantula scuttled back to his trainer, awaiting his next order as he watched the dust settle. It wasn't long before the fog of debris cleared, unveiling Carracosta's body imbedded in a wall, his head lolled limply to a side. The Team Plasma leader returned his fallen friend, the empty crater left behind marking his third failure.

Without a word N summoned his next Pokemon, the flash of light dimming down to a shifting steely mass of gray. Hovering just above the ground and rotating in place was the Gear Pokémon, Klinklang. Yellow darkened into crimson as Hilda returned Galvantula with one hand and cast a second Pokéball with another.

N watched the light take form, white becoming a bright magenta that flanked a black underbelly with purple rings. Standing in at eight feet and weighing in at over four hundred and forty pounds was the Megapede Pokémon, Scolipede.

The heir to the Harmonia throne threw Hilda a puzzled look, wondering why she had summoned a bug and poison type to battle a steel type. Hilda remained silent, eyes locked with the Plasma king as if awaiting him to make the first move. Just as he was about to indulge her the hall began to shake, the marble halls muffling a far-off explosion, no doubt from their distant dueling dragons.

At this, Hilda gave her command, her voice drowned out by the sound of shifting sands and echoing booms that resonated off the acoustic walls. Unable to make out her voice and read her lips, N was unable to prepare for what she had planned, but Scolipede had no such qualms.

The Megapede reared itself back and gave a menacing roar, balancing itself on its two hind legs.

"Klinklang, use Flash Cannon," the king commanded, hoping to take out the Pokémon before it could launch any kind of offensive. A cloud of iron filaments sloughed off Klinklang's gyrating body, melding into a quivering liquid platinum sphere. It held its form only for an instant before spewing outward, the explosion channeled towards its target as a stream of silver.

Scolipede brought itself down, his monstrous weight managing to make the tiles beneath his feet crumble and then some.

N watched the Megapede Pokémon sink through the floor, barely dodging the river of iron shrapnel. Hilda had to throw herself to the ground to dodge the Flash Cannon, unaware that it dissipated before it left too far from its source. The brunette threw him a scathing glare, wordlessly baring her teeth. N would've apologized, but this far into the battle would've made it just empty words.

Despite being an obvious obstacle to his goal, he had no intention of killing or even hurting Hilda. If he could help it he wanted to complete his mission without killing anyone. People would be hurt, dreams would be shattered, but they were a small price to pay for the liberation of all Pokémon.

Hilda began to pick herself up off the ground, staring down the hole her Scolipede had made. She seemed completely unfazed by the fact that her Pokémon had fallen to the floor below; in fact, she was too calm for his liking. Hilda lifted her gaze and smiled sinisterly at him, taking great pleasure in watching his shocked expression when the realization hit him.

The ground beneath Klinklang exploded like a set off landmine, lances of magenta speared through the stone and into the shifting gears. Hilda had been patient, waiting for the precise moment when Zekrom's battle with Reshiram would make an explosion loud enough to mask her command. The fact that her opponent bought into the idea that Scolipede had simply fallen through the floor was an added bonus. Had he known the Megapede was using Dig, he might've changed strategies.

Hilda proudly watched her Scolipede practically rocket from the floor below them, finding no end to her amazement. Throughout her journey she often found herself wondering how something so large and heavy could move so fast. Burge's veneration of bug types was becoming more and more understandable.

Klinklang's body began to shimmer as Scolipede fully ascended into the room, its form wavering unnaturally and uncontrollably until the image could no longer be maintained. Hilda watched in amazement as the Klinklang's steely gray form darkened into a magenta cocoon, dissolving to reveal a long deep crimson mane tipped black at the edges.

Scarlet talons clutched Scolipede's jagged horns, struggling to keep them from sinking any further into the flesh that lied behind Zoroark's dark gray fur. A solid inch of the megapede's horns had sheathed into Zoroark, tiny rivers of blood and poison traversing its length.

Zoroark's claws began to glow like burning rubies before it swiped at Scolipede's head, launching the two combatants away from one another. Hilda quickly sidestepped as her Pokémon soared through the air and landed, quickly sliding towards her. The tipped edges of his legs carved through the floor, eventually finding purchase once he stood beside his trainer.

Zoroark landed before the Plasma king, wincing and clutching his wounded midsection. It had been Hilda's first time fighting that particular Pokémon, its illusion completely catching her off guard. The brunette shook off her bewilderment, thrusting her arm towards the illusion fox.

"Scolipede, use Megahorn!"

The Megapede nodded, lowering his head and propelling himself forward with a speed thought impossible by everyone in the room. Hilda shielded her face with her arms as the powdered ground sprayed over her.

Despite his king's command, Zoroark found himself unable to retaliate or move out of the way. With only seconds to spare, the dark fox's paws blurred forward and grabbed Scolipede's horns just before they impaled him once more. N's tea green hair whipped around his face as Scolipede rushed past him, the sensation akin to a speeding train rushing by.

Zoroark's feet dragged against the ground, offering little resistance before the Megapede raised his head slightly and lifted the fox off the ground. Every ounce of strength left in his body was dedicated to keeping the nudging horns from digging any deeper into his chest, his battle being short-lived when they reached the end of the hall.

Hilda expected the hall to shudder from the collision, clouds of powdered marble erupting from the crash. Instead she saw her Scolipede stand just before the wall in an amazing display of strength and control considering the speed with which it was charging.

Zoroark's body was mere inches from the wall of stone, his body hanging limply from twin lances of magenta. The dark fox's body crumpled onto the ground, Scolipede backed away to allow the plasma king passage. Hilda could only imagine Scolipede's poison from the brief instances of contact had taken its tool on the fox, making him faint before they had crashed.

Scolipede found that there was no point in needlessly exerting and hurting himself by crashing into the wall. The thought of striking at an unconscious opponent left a bad taste in the Megapede's mouth. A single look at Hilda's smile as he made his way back assured him that she approved. Hilda peered past Scolipede to find N staring silently and grimly back at her, holding Zoroark's body in his arms.

A weak smile broke through the frown on his lips, a look of gratitude conveyed through his gaze alone.

"Great job Scolipede," Hilda whispered, returning the Megapede to his Pokéball as N did the same for his. The young girl reached for the Pokéball that belonged to her Emboar. If she remembered correctly, Zoroark took the form of the last Pokémon in its holder's party, leaving only the real Klinklang left to battle.


End file.
